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About Rockin’

My trail name is Rockin’

Christy “Rockin’” Rosander loves to backpack, climb, day hike, cycle, and enjoy year round outdoor adventure. The Southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range is her backyard playground, and also where her trail name “Rockin’” originated—a testament to her enthusiasm for climbing big rocks. Christy has hiked the Sierra High Route, climbed many of the country’s fourteen thousand foot peaks, and backpacked countless cross-country treks through the Sierras. She has also completed roughly 1100 miles of the Continental Divide Trail, 2200 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, a 225 mile trek across Scotland for the annual Great Outdoor challenge, and recently hiked from Badwater to Mount Whitney on the Lowest to Highest Route.

She loves sharing her passion for the outdoors with anyone who will listen. Christy spent years of hiking with her husband, children, and friends, but was inspired five years ago to begin the journey of solo thru-hiking. After a brief chat with a female section hiker who shared her story while resting on a rock, Christy gained the confidence that she too could strike out solo. This triggered her dream to hike the PCT one section at a time.

Through daily trail blogging, long-distance hiking, and providing trail angel support, Christy has fostered many quality relationships and has found herself immersed in both the virtual and physical hiker community.

As an elementary school teacher, Christy combines her passions for hiking and teaching by creating tHInK outsidE, a hiking and outdoor skills course with a companion website. tHinK outsidE website provides resources and lessons for teaching wilderness and thru-hiking skills to elementary and high school students.

Christy’s quest for lighter, safer, and more efficient gear is motivated by a desire to stay healthy and active for many years to come. After being part of this sport for 23 years, Christy continues to learn, test and refine gear, and dream of new trips.

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I am happy you stopped by and thanks for checking out my blog. If you have questions, information, or other experiences, please don’t hesitate to share in the comments or fill out the contact form below.

Disclosure:
ladyonarock.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.co. I am not financially compensated for posts nor do I do sponsored posts. I may, however, receive samples of products for review.

I stumbled upon your blog while beginning my research on a PCT section or through hike this month. I fell in love with backpacking, climbing, hiking while living in OR for 6 years and just realized after reading “Wild” that I’d better begin planning for that wish I’ve had for the last few years, to hike the PCT. Your’s is the best site I’ve found and I expect it’s one of the best available so will follow along. I was an educator as well and hearing about your summers makes me think about teaching again. Thanks for all your hard work tracking your adventures. I’m grateful!

Neil,
Planning and hiking sections of the PCT has made my life richer and better. I have met so many interesting people and learned so much. Keep going, planning, and dreaming even when life happens and may get in the way. Many times I have made hiking (my dream) a family affair and that has helped A LOT. This summer I am planning to hike a large chunk of the Continental Divide Trail and am having fun planning that. This week I am starting to teach a class to middle school students about hiking the PCT. How lucky can I be? I get to talk about what I love to willing listeners!Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words. Best of luck in your upcoming goals!

Is there a story behind your name/nickname “Lady on a rock”? In one of your pictures (JMT?) you mentioned that it was at that place that you encountered your lady on a rock… Thank you, Rockin’, for your very inspiring blog(s) and superb pictures along with it! Happy trails 2013! GoWest

Hey GoWest great question! I think the info might even be helpful to other readers, so I added the story on my About page. Here is what I added:
A couple of years ago I got the inspiration to start section hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from a lone hiker north of Muir Pass on the John Muir Trail. The lady was resting on a rock and I stopped to talk with her a bit. She told me she was a retired stewardess from Chicago and had been solo hiking sections of the PCT for a few years, with the goal to complete the entire 2600 mile trail. She even said that her family often joked that if she died before she completed the trail, they would have to carry her ashes to finish. In this small moment in time this lady on a rock gave me the courage and inspiration that I too could do it. I could hike solo and the dream of section hiking the PCT was planted. Thank you Lady on a Rock, namesake of this blog!

Thank you for your kind words and happy adventures to you in 2013!
Rockin’

Rockin,
I came across your site as I was searching for high resolution images of my good old days. Saying thank you is just not enough, but it’s all I can do. My hiking and camping days are over permanently, at least in the only manner either event should be experienced, but I have some amazing memories. I used to hike with the rest of my boy scout troop all over the Sierra Nevada range on everything from a free weekend to a whole summer, but we never took pictures. We certainly didn’t take high resolution pictures. My last trip was in the summer of 1998 in the Yosemite area. We trekked from Mono Dome to the summit of Mount Conness, and I still have the flag we took up there. It was part of a program I hear is discontinued called, The Quest Beyond The Eagle. It is or was a camp specifically for eagle scouts. Naturally, within minutes of arriving at the summit, a thunderhead rolled in fast so we got a quick look around before racing back down. Good times. :) I would be in your debt if you could post some high resolution pictures of anything from Henninger Flats (near Pasadena, CA), where I did my Eagle Project. We replanted the rear bank shortly after the big fire around 1996. The rangers had to ask us to stop early because they actually ran out of saplings for us to plant. Thank you, and happy hiking.
Tim

Tim, Wow, so cool you were part of such an important program and were active in getting kids outdoors. Digital photography has certainly changed the opportunity in the backcountry to take lots of great photos. I am so spoiled. I wish I could tell you that I have been to Henninger Flats, but not yet. I would have been glad to forward photos to you. Thank you for stopping by and for your heart felt comment.

I came across your blog while surfing the web and wanted to discuss possible synergies we may have.

I am the Co-Founder of the Peaks Foundation http://www.peaksfoundation.org/. We are a non-profit that organises global mountain challenges for women who seek adventure, a sense of personal achievement, and an opportunity to make a positive difference in the world. We support and empower women and girls in the communities where the challenges take place, through initiatives such as education, maternal healthcare and community-led conservation.

I thought it would be incredible if you might be able to feature us on your blog – or offer any other advice about groups of women we could reach out to. We are especially aiming to fill our Kilimanjaro trips for this year.

You can visit our website for further information – it would be fantastic to work together to empower women.

Thank you! It is always a work in progress. To answer your question…I scanned each page of each section on my printer, then saved them as a PDF, then uploaded the files into the free online Evernote to view on my iPhone. If you do this make sure to open the documents on your smartphone ahead of time when you have cell service or WiFi, that you want to view on the trail when you don’t have service. If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to view them without service. Disclaimer: this probably is not legal, but I am not selling them or sending them. Thank you for stopping by.

I am so glad I found you! (I stumbled upon your link via wordpress’ request to submit changes we’d like to see for our themes).

I am always looking for travel/backpacking tips from women…and you are right, it is slim pickings out there! I look forward to hearing more about your adventures and learning more from a fellow woman adventurer as yourself :)

I came across the videos of your PCT hike this summer while researing information to take my family on a 3 day hike through an area of the Golden Trout Wilderness. Being very interested to learn more about you and your trip, I “binged” you and found your website. AWESOME SITE!

After many years of allowing job, family and life stresses to turn me from the fit college day-hiker gal who loves all things to do with the outdoors, to the sedentary, out-of-shape person I became, I started a new life style in March of this year and began moving more, eating less and more healthy. which has resulted into me getting back to the things I love. It also has had the result of geting my children to eat healthier and moving more. We have been doing day hikes, in Arrowhead, Big Bear, and Santa Rosa Plateau and this over night trip will be the first for my children and I. My Husband who has hiked the Golden Trout Wilderness since he was a Scout is excited to take us and to also get back to something he loves. (The last trip he took was about 15 years ago)

I am an avid reader and scolar, when it come to anything I endeaver to do. I love to research thoroughly and I have found that being a day-hiker and a thru-hiker is like the difference of night and day in regards to somethings. ( the woods and swamps of Louisianna are vastly different than west coast territory! ;)) Also my husband has been very quick to be willing to “change” learned behaviors from his earlier years. This to me is a sign of a true lover of the outdoors.

You have really inspired me to continue to get out there and do what I love! You also have shown me it is not too late to do it and I wanted to thank you for sharing your journey! I look forward to reading more about your trips in the Future.

Thank you for sharing your story. It sounds like you have come far and have great plans. How exciting is that? Was the trip to Golden Trout a success? It is one of my favorite areas to hike, especially early season and I almost always experience a bear siting at the fringe of a meadow. It is just magnificent. Also, thanks for the website compliments and yes I believe it is never too late to change, grow, and learn something new. Just get out there!

Hi Christy, Sounds like you are having a blast. I can not wait to hear about your adventures in person. I was very interested in that app that you downloaded and may try it when we go to Zion. I am keeping you in my prayers for a fun and safe adventure. YOU ROCK!!!!

Wow I am quite impressed that you are going to be journeying the PCT! Your website is fantastic, and I am looking forward to hearing more about your preparations and journey. Cheers to a fellow female hiker!